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Hundreds of schools on strike over education reform in Poland

Xinhua, March 31, 2017 Adjust font size:

Hundreds of Polish schools and kindergartens went on strike on Friday over planned education reform, as the Polish Teachers' Union (ZNP) demands government to declare no teachers or education sector employees will be dismissed by 2022.

The all-day strike affects schools all around the country. Teachers were present but no classes were being held and the children were being taken care of.

The decision to stage a national strike was taken by the ZNP in early March.

The union demands a 10 percent pay increase for teachers and requires government's declaration that no teachers and education sector employees will be dismissed by 2022.

Teachers are concerned about the plans for education reform which assumes replacement of six-year primary school, three-year middle school and three-year high school system with eight years of primary school and four years of high school or five years of vocational school.

The first protests took place in 2016 when parents and teachers jointly spoke against the new curriculum.

"I hope that today's strike will not disturb the normal functioning of schools. Political action must not be achieved at the expense of children," Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said Friday. She had earlier promised that no teachers would be dismissed due to the upcoming changes.

According to ZNP, staff in 40-45 percent of schools was to go on strike, but the exact number is unsure.

ZNP is Poland's biggest teachers' union, with around 240,000 members. The union is also carrying out a signature collection under a civil motion for a referendum on the government's education reform. Endit